30 Day Song Challenge - Days 15-21

Day 15- Cover song

Love Rollercoaster - Red Hot Chili Peppers 

The Joe Cocker All-Stars: Cover songs that are either vastly superior to the original or just completely original musical arrangements 

Joe Cocker "Get by with a little help from my friends”, “You are so beautiful”, “The Letter” and “Feelin’ Alright” 

He’s the king of the “Cover where the band makes it there own”. 

UB40 is a great example of this with “Red Red Wine” - which is a PERFECT COVER in my opinion

Rod Stewart was really good at this as well. 

Boyz in the Hood By Dynamite Hack - another great example 

Take on Me - Reel Big Fish - another great example 

In Bloom - Sturgill Simpson  

Ryan Adams “Wonderwall” and like 10 other songs by him 

Johnny Cash "Rusty Cage” 

I will Survive by “Cake” 

Gin and Juice - The Gourds 

You Really Got me - Van Halen (honorable mention to Diamond David Lee Roth for “Just a Gigolo” 

Faith - Limp Bizkit (hate it, but gotta give ‘em credit) 

Straight Away Covers

Ring of Fire by Social Distortion 

You might Think by Weezer 

Hurt by Johnny Cash 

Voodoo Child - Stevie Ray Vaughn 

Here’s a straight ahead cover the STINKS — Phil Collins - Can’t Hurry Love — THAT’S how you make a great song WORSE! KARAOKE Style 

Carless Whisper by Seether - that’s exotic dancing music right there 

Smoking in the Boys Room - Motley Crue 

Land of Confusion - Disturbed 

Covers in which you thought they were the Original 

Whitney Houston “I will always love you” All-Stars  — This song isn’t even great — SHE IS JUST SO TRANSCENDENT and her voice is impossible to explain with words 

Me and Bobby McGee - Janis Joplin Cover by Kris Kristofferson 

Urge Overkill “Girl you’ll be a woman soon” 

Nirvana "Lake of Fire” - really any of the covers off of the unplugged   

Gary Jules and Michael Andrews "Mad World” 

Take me to the river - Talking Heads — THAT WAS AN AL GREEN JAM???? I’ve since really enjoyed learning of this Jam and now think the original is pretty fire in it’s own right.

Tainted Love - Soft Cell — i just thought the “where did our love go part” was a cover  during the outro 

"It’s my Life" No Doubt 

My top 5 

Signs by Tesla 

Scarlet Begonias by Sublime (Honorable Mention)

Gypsy Kings - Hotel California - in Spanish and from an iconic scene for the Big Lebowski (honorable mention) 

All Along the Watch Tower - Jimi Hendrix 

Knocking on Heaven’s door - GNR 

Sweet Dreams are made of This - Marilyn Manson (honorable mention) 

Blue Monday by Orgy 

Mony Mony - Billy Idol (this is my #6) 

It’s My Life - No Doubt 

Nothing Compares 2 U - Prince cover a song he wrote and gave to somebody else to make famous - In addition it’s been covered by Chris Cornell, The Dixie Chicks, Capital Cities, Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies and More 

No Woman, No Cry - The Fugees 

Red Red Wine - UB40 

Blinded by the Light - Manfred Mann (stole it from Bruce Springsteen and made it a bigger hit) that one’s for your Rosco. In addition - Manfred Mann took Bob Dylan’s Mighty Quinn to Number 1 in the 1960’s 

Fun Fact: Bob Dylan covers being better performed by somebody else are plentiful - Guns N’ Roses, Manfred Mann, Jimi Hendrix,  the Byrds with Mr. Tamborine Man 

Day 16 - A classic favorite 

Ben E. King - Stand By Me

Shout Pt 1 & 2 - the Isley Brothers 

The Weight by the Band 

It’s 9-7 in favor of Cindy 

Day 17 - Karaoke Song w/ friend 

Take me home tonight 

Lady Marmalade 

Hunger Strike 

Wanted Dead or Alive 

Friends in Low Places 

No Woman No Cry 

I remember you - Skid Row 

Podcast Idea — Ranking Playlist on spotify and beaking them down

Day 18 - A song from the year you were born - 1978 vs.1983 - Roxanne by the Police vs. Africa by Toto 

Day 19 - Rubbish 

Day 20 - Rubbish 

Day  21 - A song with someone’s name in it 

Crazy Mary - Pearl Jam

Call me Al - Paul Simon 

Come on  Eileen - Dexy’s Midnight Runners 

Cindy, I’ll marry you one day - Robert Plant 

My Michelle - Guns N’ Roses

Allison - Elivs Costello 

Gloria - Laura Branigan 

Help Me, Rhonda - Beach Boys 

Brandy - Looking Glass

Janie’s Got a Gun ( Jane Says)

Jenny 867-5309

Karen - the national (of course there’s a song named Karen)

Lay Down Sally & Layla (Clapton and D + Domino’s)

there’s a song called Lindsay quit Lollygagging - Chiodos (What a name?!)

Lola - the Kinks

Marcarena - Los Del Rio 

Maria Maria - Santana 

Mary Mary - The Monkees

Mustang Sally - Wilson Pickett 

Oh Sheila - Ready for the World 

Oh Sherrie - Steve Perry 

Ophelia - The Band 

Peg - Steely Dan 

Rosalita (Come out tonight) - Bruce Springsteen 

Rosanna - Toto 

Stacy’s Mom - Fountains of Wayne 

Suzie Q - CCR

Sussudio - Phil Collins 

Tessie - Dropkick’s 

Valerie - Steve Winwood 

Wake up Little Susie - Everly Brothers 

Whole Lotta Rosie AC/DC

Wyona’s Big Brown Beaver - Primus 

Along Comes Mary - The Association 

Jenny Was a Friend of Mine - The Killers 

Johnny B Good - Chuck Barry 

Captain Jack - Billy Joel

Dropkick me Jesus (Through the Goal posts of Life) - Bobby Bare

Duke of Earl (Gene Chandler)

Hey Joe - Hendrix 

Hey Jude - The Beatles 

Jeremy - Pearl Jam 

Jessie’s Girl - Rick Springfield 

Jumpin’ Jack Flash - Stones 

Levon - Elton John 

Mack the Knife - Bobby Darin

Mickey - Toni Basil 

Sam’s Town - The Killers 

Jenny Was a Friend of Mine - The Killers 

Stan - Eminen 

Tom Sawyer - Rush 

Uncle Johnny - The Killers 

What’s the Frequency, Kenneth? - REM

Ultimate Yacht Rock Playlist and Podcast

Yacht Rock Extravaganza

places listening: 4 way tie for second place - UK, Denmark, France & Australia - New places listening Bosnia & Herzegovina, Slovenia and New Zealand 

#1 US city - Glen’s Falls, NY home of hacksaw jim duggan

stayed away from jimmy buffet and the cocktail movie soundtrack (especially kokomo) - good work

i’ve had baby come back, by player in my head for 6 days

Yacht Rock is the concentric circle where disco, rock and pop music met in the late 70s and early 80s

Yacht Rick - fake rapper on the week

Dwayne fords album. Needless freaking. Oh lord that's a great name - Lovin’ & Losin’ you is the final song on this playlist BTW

Awards: 

Most intentionally Yacht Rock song of all-time: I’m alright by Kenny Loggins — Caddy Shack theme song - Kenny Loggins’ music is so much more funk driven than i remembered “This is It” & “Heart to Heart” 

Biggest pop-hit from a Yacht Rock artist: Need nominees - 

I Keep Forgetting (Mainly because it spawns Nate Dogg and Warren G’s Regulators) 

What A fool Believes - Doobies 

Is she really going out with Him - Jackson Browne - also Somebody’s Baby 

Kiss is on my list / You make my dreams come true - Hall & Oates 

Still the one by Orleans 

Lovely Day - Bill Withers (This song has such a sick bass line) 

Let it Ride by BTO Bachman Turner Overdrive (this might be a top 5 song in the history of LIFE) 

Prog rock band masquerading as Yacht Rock: Toto - Rosanna

Mr ubiquitous award goes to Michael MacDonald. He sings back up on like 6+ songs on this record - in addition to songs he's lead singer on

Brandy - literally about sailor’s drinking and trying to pick up a waitress at a seaside bar. And the sound is yacht rock personified - strong horns/ brass in most yacht rock songs as well as harmonization — this song has both in spades - great lead off song - props to “Looking Glass” for such a jam that really holds up 40 years later

Escape (Pina Colada song) - it’s quintessential — but played out. Rupert Holmes would’ve loved Tinder/ Bumble and online dating — the personals of the news paper sounds so sketchy 40 years later. 

Sailing by Christopher Cross — I mean “yes” because it’s about Sailing — in my mind this song is a “Lady in Red” / “Cherish the love” slow jam — i’m not recommending this one - Christopher cross has a great voice though  — Also “ride like the wind” by Chris Cross is a Disco Inspired Yacht rock anthem

Rock the Boat - by Hues Corporation works well - total jam and you snagged it from Carlito’s way soundtrack - Dave Clinefeld is one of my all time favorite Sean Penn roles ever - between Clinefeld and Jeff Spicolli, we should’ known Sean Penn has infinite range

Doobie Bros - Might be Yacht Rock - but they are also “Road trip rock” and “quasi-stoner” rock — tip of the cap fellas

Lowdown and Lido Shuffle by Boz Scaggs is 100% yacht rock royalty

News Flash — Despsite the fact that it belows on this list — I must confess: I hate SUMMER BREEZE by Seals & Crofts

Baby Come back by Player — is smooth as EFF, nothing anybody can say to change my mind

Sleeper of this list might nominees - Steal Away by Robbie Dupree // Lonely Boy by Andrew Gold (like a poor man’s Billy Joel) // The Nightly by Dan Fagen (super funky)  // No Ordinary Lady by Orleans — Orleans is an unknown slice of AM Gold for me

Some notable omissions: 

Baker Street by Gerry Rafferty (on the Yacht Rock 2.0 Play list) that one needs to sneak on- Plus I used to drink at Baker Street with is where they filmed Tom Cruise’s cocktail on 60th and 1st ave

If this is it - huey lewis & the news - Huey Lewis is the Adam Levine of the 80’s - LA Band - paid its dues for ever and finally broke through

Peg by Steely Dan - Lots of Steely Dan could be on this

Valerie by Steve Windwood also the Finer things by Winwood — pretty much any mid-80s winwood

Mandolin Rain by Bruce Hornsby

Easy Lover by Phil Collins and Philip Bailey

Blinded by the Light - Manfred Mann

Evil Woman by Electric Light Orchestra